Golden State Warriors & Indiana Pacers Trade Big Salaries, but For What?
Trades in the NBA don't get much bigger than the 8 player deal that went through today between the Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors. Not only was money involved in the decision to push this trade through, but style of play and lack of productivity also factored into the decision.
So who was involved?
Indiana Pacers get:
- Mike Dunleavy
- Troy Murphy
- Ike Diogu
- Keith McLeod
Golden State Warriors get:
- Al Harrington
- Stephen Jackson
- Sarunas Jasikevicius
- Josh Powell
Now let's get into the details of why this trade went through and what it means to each team.
Basically, the Warriors are trying to play the same style as the Phoenix Suns, only Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy don't seem to get it. Those two players just got huge contracts and they're not playing like they deserve them. On top of that, Dunleavy, who most thought would thrive in the uptempo style, has struggled to perform up to those expectations. Ike Diogu was stuck on the Warriors bench and was never going to get significant minutes on the court, despite his great talent and abilities; an early injury was likely to blame for him losing out on minutes throughout the season.
The Indiana Pacers are struggling to stay around the .500 mark, despite the abundant amount of talent they have on the roster. Stephen Jackson was a headcase and still is, so good luck for Golden State now. If he doesn't get jail time for his role in a club shooting, there's something wrong w/ our legal system. Al Harrington is the surprise player in the trade to me, especially since he spurned the Atlanta Hawks in the offseason to sign w/ the Pacers, who he played for his first few years in the NBA. It will be very interesting to get Jermaine O'Neal's reaction to the trade, considering he's been lamenting over Indiana's record the past few weeks and hinting at a trade (himself).
Overall, I think the trade is going to benefit both teams - the Warriors had dead weight on the bench and now those players are on a team where they'll probably be able to help. The Pacers' slower game style should work well for Murphy and Dunleavy. Adding two potent scorers to their lineup won't hurt Golden State either; expect Harrington and Jackson to start and/or play heavy minutes throughout the season.
As far as fantasy stats go, it's probably a safe bet to start playing Murphy again and to possibly pick up Dunleavy on waivers; both of their numbers should go up. Al Harrington was already a good fantasy player and I see the situation in Golden State helping him even more. Ike Diogu should get a shot in Indiana, but he'll have to play well quickly or he'll be the odd man out again like he was for the Warriors.